pittilla



(No Model.)

W'. 151. PITTILLA. HAT BLOGKING- MACHINE.

No. 450,422. Patented Apr. 14,1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT CErrcEr.

VILLIAM II. PITTILLA, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES B. PITTILLA, OF SAME PLACE.

HAT-BLOCKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,422, dated April 14, 1891.

l Application filed January 6, 1891. Serial No. 376,920. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

l Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. PITTILLA, a

Subj ect of the Queen of Great Britain, re-

siding at Danbury, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Blocking the Crowns and Pressing the Brims of Hats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip- 1 o tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the construction of 1 5 hat-blockin g and brim pressing machines, and has for its object to block hats and press the brims simultaneously, to force the block evenly within the crown of the hat, to prevent the block from crawling out of the hat zo during the cooling, and to produce superior results in less time and with less labor than heretofore.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved machine, and

Fig. 2 a sectional elevation thereof, said figures illustrating, respectively, the normal and effective positions of the parts of my machine.

Similar reference characters denote like parts in both gures.

3o 1 is a steam-box, preferably made of wood and having an opening 2 in the top.

3 is the base of my machine, made hollow, so as to be heated by steam, and having an opening 4 therethrough conformed in crosssection to the ovoidal shape of the hat-crown.

This base is mounted on the box and the opening 4 leads within the opening 2. It is not necessary that this latter opening should be of any particular size and shape, since it 4o merely establishes a communication between the box and the opening 4, so that the live steam can come in contact with the hat-crown to soften the same, as will be hereinafter set forth. Rising from this base is the press-arm 5, and G is the presser-plate, hollow, so as to be heated by steam and guided in Ways 7 in said arm. This presser-plate has an opening S therethrough adapted to admit the hatblock and registering with the opening 4 in 5o the base.

9 is a hollow spindle threaded exteriorly and interiorly, the exterior thread being adapted to a threaded perforation at the upper middle portion of the arm 5, while a threaded rod lO is run through the spindlein engagement with the interior thread.

11 is a yoke rising from the plate 6, and to this yoke the spindle 9 is swiveled, as yseen at 12, so that it will be readily understood that the action of the exterior thread on the spin- 6c' dle will cause the plate to be raised or lowered. The lower end of the rod 10 is swiveled to the presser-foot 13, so that it will be clearly seen that the turning of the rod within the spindle will raise or lower said foot independent of the spindle.

23 are guides which extend from the foot 13 within ways 24E in the yoke, whereby said foot is prevented from turning around with the rod 10. 7o I 14: 15 are hand-wheels secured, respectively, to the upper ends of the spindle and rod, whereby the same may be conveniently operated.

16,'17, and 1S are the steam-inlet pipes for 75 the presser-plate, base, and box, respectively, while 19, 20, and 21 are the corresponding outlet-pipes. The height of the yoke 11 from the plate 6 is such that there is ample space to allow the block 25 to be inserted within the 8o opening 8 from the upper side of the plate 6.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: The parts being in the position shown at Fig. 1, the hat 22 is placed in positionwith the crown extending through the opening 4 85 and the brim resting upon the base 3. The spindle is now operated to force the presserplate firmly against the brim and the block 25 is then inserted through the opening 8 within the hat. The rod 10 is now operated 9o to force the foot 13 against the block, thereby driving the latter firmly within the hat. The steam is admitted to the plate, base, and boX prior to the operation of the plate and block, so as to soften the hat and render it better adapted to receive and retain the shape of the block. In removing a blocked hat the spindle is backed until the distance between the presser-plate and base is sufficient to permit of the removal of theblock and hat. The roo latter are then removed andthe rod is operated to raise the foot 13 up within the yoke to permit of the introduction of a succeeding block through the opening 8.

By operating the block independent of the means for pressing the brim I am enabled to produce very superior results, While at the same time it is not necessary to raise the presser-plate an additional distance equal to the length of the block, which would have to be done if the block were integral with the plate. I claiml. In a hat-blocking and brim-pressing machine, the combination of the steam-box having an opening in its top, the base mounted on said box and havingian opening 4 conformed to the hat-crown and leading into the aforesaid opening, the press-arm rising from said base, the presser-plate having an opening 8, adapted to snugly contain the hat-block and registering with the opening 4, the yoke rising from said plate, the hollow spindle swiveled to said yoke and threaded exteriorly and interior-1y and operating through the top of the press-arm, the foot, and the threaded rod operatingindependently Within said spindle and swiveled to said foot, substantially as set forth.

. 2. In a hat-blocking and brim-pressing machine, the combination of the base having the press-ar1n rising` therefrom, the presser-plate having the yoke rising therefrom, the foot, and the two independently-operating screws contained one Within the other and swiveled, respectively, to said foot and yoke, substantially as shown and described. T

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM H. PTTLLA.'

Witnesses:

JOHN R. BOOTH, JAMES B. WILDMAN. 

